Ain Harcha
Ain Harcha
عين حرشة | |
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Village | |
Country | Lebanon |
Governorate | Beqaa Governorate |
District | Rashaya District |
Elevation | 3,900 ft (1,200 m) |
Bekaa Valley | |
Coordinates | 33°27′23″N 35°47′02″E / 33.456389°N 35.783889°E |
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History | |
Cultures | Roman |
Site notes | |
Condition | Ruins |
Public access | Yes |
Ain Harcha (or Ain Hircha) is a
Dahr El Ahmar.[1]
There it is a roman temple.
The village sits ca. 1,200 metres (3,900 ft) above sea level and the name is claimed in Aramaic to mean "house of spirits" or "place of worship" with some seeing this as derived from "the feast of sorceries" due to local folklore suggesting an evil spirit of Ain Al-Horsh inhabits the springs of Lebanon.[2]
History
In 1838, Eli Smith noted 'Ain Harshy's population as being Druze and Christians.[3]
Roman temple
2 kilometres (2,000 m) (about a forty-minute walk) along a rocky path, on a ridge-top to the west, 525 metres (1,722 ft) higher than the village sits one of the best examples of a
sun god.[5]
Around the site are remnants of ancient habitations and tombs.
References
- ^ Anīs Furaiḥa (1972). dictionary of the name of towns and villages in Lebanon. Maktabat Lubnān.
- ^ Qada' (Caza) Rachaya - Promenade Tourist Brochure, published by The Lebanese Ministry of Tourism Archived 13 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Robinson and Smith, 1841, vol 3, 2nd appendix, p. 138
- ^ Robert Boulanger (1955). Lebanon, p. 205. Hachette.
- ^ George Taylor (1969). The Roman temples of Lebanon: a pictorial guide, p. 30, 75, 105. Argonaut.